Chapter1
Leaving the Duchies Ano, Klale, Phineas, and Toben are officially joined by Eles and Aashera. Plans finalized and preparations made, the group journeys west and some south out of the Duchies. After a brief stop in the Duchy of Duke Callord, they make their way into the open plains of the west, heading for the region Eles calls Mordûn. Towertown Not long after leaving the duchies, the group comes upon a large village nestled against a forest that on Eles's map looks an awful lot like a turtle. Thinking to resupply, the group soon realizes that something is amiss in the town. Eles and Phineas scout things out. A gang of thugs has taken over the town and brought all the townsfolk to the center. One family is separated to be executed outside of town as an example to the rest of the town to pay tribute. Phineas follows, hidden. Two thugs bring the family to the outskirts where the rest of the party waits. Enraged, Toben charges backed up by the rest. The thugs are thwarted and the family saved. Together, the father of the family and the adventurers make a plan to save the rest of the town. Klale, pretending to be a salesman sympathetic to the thugs and only interested in selling his goods, drives the wagon close, with Ano on the back as an assistant. Toben and the father, dressed as the two thugs, rejoin the ranks prepared to ambush. Phineas is placed in the crowd to start cutting bonds and arming a few townsfolk with small weapons. Aashera and Eles support from somewhere in the town. Eles wanders out at the back of the group pretending to be drunk and distracting several of the thugs. Aashera attacks from the buildings and the battle ensues. Well planned, with surprise on their side, the adventurers quickly subdue the remaining thugs with little injury. The town is grateful and puts the group up for several days. A trial is held led by the innkeeper and temporary mayor, Yern. Questioning, as suggested by Klale, is held first. Each bandit is isolated and questioned independent of the others. One bandit in particular, Cace Craab, seems to have been pressed into the group against his will and convinces the others of his innocence. Rather than facing the harsher punishment by the town, the group adopts him tentatively into the group. Sifting through the thugs belongings for plunder, Eles comes across a map. Though it looks geographically like Mordûn, the features are all wrong, darker, more sinister. The name of the place is wrong, too. Though the language is not one Eles knows, he thinks the map refers to Mordûn as Mordor. Rings with a flaming horned demon on them and one idol of the same demon are items of note also found in the plunder among the thugs. Cace refers to the demon as the Valaraukar, a symbol to identify the thugs to one another. During their stay, the story eventually comes out about what happened to the town: * When the stars fell, the townsfolk awoke to a kind of renaissance like many others. Their crops began to do exceeding well and fortune seemed to favor the town. However, many in the town grew fearful that if the stars fell into the wrong hands, fortune would turn to curse. The young mayor of the town rallied the able-bodies men to trek southwest to find the closest star. Yern had been mayor before, and was ousted by the new young man, Wexis. Yern had been mayor for a long time, and was selected to step back in during Wexis' hiatus. Five days after the men left, Pauric showed up, demanding a tribute to his organization. The town was given a week to comply. The adventurers happened upon the town on day 8 after Pauric. Concerns in the town grow as the trial approaches that there is a larger group of thugs, the full gang, that will come to rescue Pauric. The group decides to leave the town before that happens, though with a warning to the townsfolk. Yern blows off the warning as bluster. With Cace bound on one of the wagons, the group leaves the town. Mordûn After more travel, the group enters into Mordûn. Cace is released and behaves himself, even taking to caring for Eles who is growing tired from the long journey. Some time passes, and Aashera takes to ranging further and further from the group, sometimes being gone for days. At one point, she returns and claims that a large group of horses, possibly the rest of Pauric's gang, are heading toward Mordûn. The group decides to leave the wagons behind and go on horseback to get ahead of the small army. Aashera takes Cace and goes to try and steal a couple of horses from the army. After the two of them leave, the rest of the group tries to mount and comically realizes that none of them are very good at riding. The plan is abandoned, but with no way to contact Aashera and Cace of the change in plans, continue on as best they can with the wagons. This puts them behind the small army entering the pass into the plains below the large, single mountain dominating the plains of Mordûn. Eles says the mountain was once called Mount Doom. With still no word from Aashera or Cace, the group makes their way to Mount Doom, a beautiful dormant volcano that is filled with thick shrubs and grasses and teeming with life. Mount Ceven Wagons hidden at the base of the mountain, the group makes their way into the basin that at one time was the primary vent for the volcano. On the far side of the basin is a sheer cliff. Set into the face of the cliff is a large cave entrance. The group makes for the cave. Just outside of it, they are confronted by three fierce, intimidating creatures with black skin and bulging muscle. Eles attempts to speak to them in a harsh, ancient language, but the creatures respond in a more fluid language before switching to human common. Their leader identifies himself as Amath and his race as Lim Orchoth, the Light Orcs. He is a guardian of the star within the cavern. After a brief conversation, Amath allows Klale, Toben, Ano, and Phineas into the cave, but requires Eles to remain outside. Inside, the four adventurers encounter the first of the fallen stars, a creature called a Maia. The Maia identifies himself as Ceven, the Song of the Earth. He tells them of the fallen stars: * "We are the servants of Ilúvatar, the Creator. Maiar are lesser servants, subject in many cases to the Valar. All in turn are called Ainur. In the beginning, the Ainur were invited to sing with Ilúvatar to help fashion the world of Arda. Then certain Ainur were given dominion over it to shape the surface of the world in order to make it perfect for humans and elves, the children of Ilúvatar." "Eventually lesser Ainur, the Maiar, were sent to walk among elves and men to guide them and help them in times of great need. With the passing of the 3rd age, the Valar, the elves, and two of the remaining Maiar -- Olórin and Aiwendil -- returned to the west and their land was separated from Arda into another existence. All of the races of Middle Earth retreated from the world or became one with man, such as the Hobbits. So it was that the 4th age was called the Age of Men." "But Ilúvatar is saddened by the state that the world has come to under the rule of men. He has therefore sent us, seven new Maiar, to return the world to a state of beauty and wonder. So I have come to you, those who have goodness in your hearts and seek the betterment of all, with gifts." When the Maiar come to this world, we give up much of our power. Our memories of glory with Ilúvatar fade. We become susceptible to the limits and evils of this world. In ages past, Maiar grew dim, turned from the light to serve darkness. They became vile creatures, selfish and cruel. Balrogs like Gothmog, Mairon, Curumo...they all fell under the sway of darkness. So, too, my brothers and sisters may be corrupted. If those who find them pass their tests, my brethren will grant them their gifts as I will grant you mine." "That is how you will restore the world. Your world has lost the songs of Ilúvatar and so has grown bleak and hopeless. If things are allowed to continue, then man will devour himself until there is none alive. We have come to teach you how to sing once more. That is our gift." Ceven then bestows gifts on each of the adventurers and tells them that he is trapped in the Mountain by some dark power. His only hope is for them to find the dwarves and draw them back into the world. One of them should have the skill to free Ceven who can then help them find the other stars before more evil groups find and bind the Maiar to their nefarious purpose. Continue to Chapter 2: Digging up the Dwarves. Story Chapters Prologue: The Legacy of Men Chapter 1: Song of the Earth Chapter 2: Digging up the Dwarves Chapter 3: Dark Hearts * Chapter 3.1: Ourn's Story Chapter 4: Dying Forever Chapter 5: Rebirth of a Star Chapter 6: Return to the Duchies * Chapter 6.4: A Bard's Tale (Ryland's Story) Chapter 7: Tempest of Fire * Chapter 7.1: Rise of a Paladin (Galad's Story)Category:Story